Harpy
A harpy is a maligned humanoid creature with a reptilian lower body and a pair of wings. It subdues its prey by its ability to magically sing, inducing a trance in those that hear, drawing them closer, and then tormenting them. Appearance A harpy has the upper body of a humanoid but the lower body of a reptile, with scaly clawed feet and hands. It has filthy tangled hair on its head. It possesses wings with which is able to fly and its eyes are black. Song A harpy's song, once heard, acts like a charm, inducing a trance-like state in which the victim is compelled to move towards the harpy, regardless of any dangers that might obstruct his or her path. Once the victim is right next to the harpy, it is at the harpy's whim, and the harpy will often carry or move its prey back to its lair. It is possible but difficult to resist the song of the harpy, and creatures who cannot hear are unable to be affected by the magical song. Elves are naturally resistant to the effects of the harpy's song. Ecology Harpies do not wear clothing, but will adorn themselves with jewerly or trinkets from their victims. They will always take at least one possession from a victim back to their lair as a symbol of their kill, but are otherwise uninterested in treasure or wealth. They are not particularly intelligent creatures and are prone to cowardice in the face of superior power. They communicate with a language of shrieking and cackling that is quite in constrast to the beauty of their magical singing. Harpies use primitive weapons; usually bone clubs, but can also bite, and rake with their claws. They have no preference over their victims, and enjoy the killing and torture of any creature. They are almost exclusively carnivorous but if meat is unavailable, they will resort to eating vegetation. Their preferred food is fresh demi-human meat, especially elf, because of the elf's natural resistance to the harpy's song making it a rarer meal. A harpy lives for around twenty-five or fifty years (see discrepancies below). Society Harpies make homes in groups of around six or more in caves near shorelines, in marshlands, preferably near to well-travelled routes. An entire tribe (known as a "scream"), although very rare, can be as large as two hundred. They venture out to hunt, and victims are often brought back to the lair to be killed and eaten. There is no social structure to harpy life and there are constant quarrels, sometimes resulting in a fight to the death. Harpies are quite content to eat their own kind. There is no physical difference between male and female harpies. The males possess breasts just like the females, leading to the misconception that male harpies do not exist. Females are able to lay as many as twenty eggs at will from the age of two, but only around three will hatch, and any deformed young are killed by a parent. When old age weakens a harpy, it is killed by its kin. It is unclear whether harpies look after their young or not (see discrepancies below) but if they do, it is no more than feeding, similar to birds. It is not unknown for harpies to cooperate with other evil humanoids if it serves their interests. Earlier incarnations In 2nd edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, harpies had the torso and head of a woman, but the legs of a vulture. Discrepancies The Monstrous Manual states on p.184 that harpies do not look after their young whatsoever, leaving them to fend for themselves, but the "Ecology of the Harpy: Songs of Beauty" article in Dragon #115 states that they feed their young, similar to birds. The Monstrous Manual also states that it is believed harpies live around fifty years, but the "Ecology of the Harpy: Songs of Beauty" article in Dragon #115 contradicts this, saying they live twenty-five to thirty years at most. Notes Category:Monstrous humanoids